FAQ

2. What is the worship service like?The best way to answer that is to come see it for yourself. We don't easily fit into the "contemporary" or the "traditional" scene. Our worship service is intended to connect Christians and non-Christians to God by engaging their imaginations to see the beauty of God's love for sinners. We do this by actually reenacting the gospel dynaimc through our liturgy and the celebration of the Lord's Supper each week. However, we don't force our beliefs on anyone, you will not be singled out or embarrassed to just observe.If you grew up in the church, Three Rivers may feel different, but after a couple of services, people say they like the way the service is arranged around the person of Christ. If you're new to church, we want our service to invite you to be honest about the brokenness you've experienced and the healing you long for. We hardly have the market cornered on how to worship God, but we want to experience a sense of transcendence (God is grand, beautiful, and worthy of our utmost respect, for He is holy) and imminence (God is close, personal, intimate, and draws near to His people, for He is love).

3. What is your music style like?Our songs have an Americana feel. We want our songs to be theologically rich, yet singable. We are big on the congregation singing like redeemed sinners.

4. Do you have a good children's ministry?Yes, and we want to point children to Jesus with excellence. We have lots of kids for the size of our growing congregation and think your son or daughter will make friends here fast. Our children’s ministry is for all ages. It is coordinated by Brenda Sheffield, mom of three with a degree in Elementary Education. All of our volunteers are vetted through a nation-wide program called Ministry Safe which includes a background check among other things. Nursery and children’s discipleship classes for all ages through fifth grade are available beginning at 9am.

5. Where do the children go?During the worship service, nursery care is available for infants through three years old. Children four and five years old will be invited back to the children’s area before the sermon, but you can keep them with you as long as you would like. We love seeing families sitting together in worship, singing together, repenting together, and growing in faith together. A hostess who will show them the way to their classes where they will hear the gospel through an age appropriate lesson from God’s Word. They will return to the worship area at the end of the sermon.

6. Is there Sunday School? Adults generally visit and have coffee during the Sunday School hour. From time to time that hour will be used for teaching purposes like new member classes or officer training.

7. What do people wear?Most people wear jeans or business casual clothing. In the summer, you'll see lots of shorts and flip-flops. Some who work the night shift at the hospital may come in scrubs. Come as you are. You don’t need to clean yourself up - let Jesus do that.

8. What if I need to step out of the service?You are welcome to step out when you need to, but please do so quietly, being sensitive to others who may be worshipping around you. Moms, we don’t mind crying babies (signs of life and joy!) but if you would like to step out, we have a Moms' Room available in the Kids area.

9. How can I get better connected?Members and guests fill out Welcome Card pads and pass them down each row. You can also get connected by signing up for our online community called “The City” in the lobby. “The City” is Three Rivers’ online church communication tool where we collaborate, share, ask for help, and received information about upcoming events in the life of the church. If you would like to get connected, click here, or introduce yourself to us at mark.kuiper@3riverspca.com.

10. What if I’m single?Yeah, Grove does seem to be all families, doesn’t it? But you would be surprised how many singles find our community a breath of fresh air. Married folks have a lot to learn from singles and singles have a lot to learn from those married. We think you'll fit in just fine.

11. What does "Presbyterian" mean?"Presbyterian" simply refers to the way the church is governed. In Greek, the word "presbeuteros" means elder or shepherd (Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1; 1 Timothy 5:17; Acts 15; Acts 16:4; Acts 20:17; James 5:14). Our pastor is held accountable by other pastors in the region who make up a presbytery. Don't let the funny name keep you from coming. On any given Sunday, we will have Baptists, Methodists, non-denominationals, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, cynics, skeptics, and lots of people who have no clue what any of these terms mean.

12. How is Three Rivers governed?We are lead by a group of elders (called a session or an elder board). Our current session is comprised of two pastors and four ruling elders (men chosen by the Holy Spirit and elected by the congregation to shepherd and help pastor them) (1 Tim 3; Titus 1). These elders are part of a regional church court called a presbytery. Each year, all of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) ministers and Ruling Elders come together to make important decisions at the General Assembly of the PCA.

13. What is the PCA?The PCA is a group of gospel-centered local churches who are faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission. It started as a split for the mainline denomination in 1973 due to theological concerns. You can read more about the PCA at their main website www.pcanet.org Or if you'd like you can contact our pastor with questions at mark.kuiper@3riverspca.com.